How To Maintain A Professional BBQ

BBQ CARE GUIDE

A short guide on maintaining your professional BBQ.

The cost of a professional BBQ is a significant investment for most. High end BBQ's are designed to last decades with proper care but due to neglect many owners completely destroy their BBQ's inner components within a fewshort years. This results in having to consistently replace expensive parts which should otherwise still function (burners, spark modules, ignitors). Taking this into consideration it's sensible to make an effort to properly maintain your investment.

CLEANING:

Don't spray any cleaning formulas inside your BBQ. Such sprays are caustic to your BBQ. Chemicals will weaken the integrity of the metal and slowly rust and destroy its inner components. (screws, burners, ignitors, etc..)

To properly clean your BBQ we must disassemble each individual part and clean separately. This allows us to now apply cleaning sprays. Lastly, each part must be rinsed clean and dried before placing back into BBQ.

COOKING GRATES:

To extend the life of your cooking grates, keep them heavily oiled.

Any type of cooking oil or spray will do. Apply with a clean rag or paper towel soaked with cooking oil.

Once finished cooking don't leave your BBQ running. Turn off and enjoy your meal. Then come back, lightly oil the grates, turn on high for 5 mins, then brush off debri. After removing debri, apply a final heavy coat of oil to saturate your grates until next usage. This will also ensure the removal of any metal bristols possibly left by an old brush.

DO NOT use the "metal scraper" side of your BBQ cleaning brush if you have ceramic coated cooking grates. This scraper will cause chipping of such grates and provoke rust to fester inside the cracks.

COVER:

To extend the life of your BBQ consider investing in a cover. This will reduce overall exposure to the elements. A cover's most direct function is to prevent rain/water from accumulating inside your BBQ. This concentrated moisture is commonly responsible for rusting out and destroying cooking grates, burners and ignitors.

RAIN/WATER:

The bottom of your BBQ houses a drip tray. Even with a protective cover, many times heavy rain or continuous water from surrounding spinklers can collect and puddle here. It's recommended to check and remove any water to prevent rusting.

DRIP TRAY:

The drip tray functions as a bottom drawer of your BBQ where excess grease collects.

Although not needed, for easier cleanup and a more sanitary cooking environment, it's advised that you cover the drip trays with aluminum foil.

DO NOT use sand in the drip tray. Sand will hold moisture and encourage rusting.

IMPORTANT, PLEASE BE ADVISED:

Inspect your drip trays for signs of rat droppings. Rats commonly make nest's inside BBQ's seeking its shelter and food debri. Nests, poop and even corpses have routinely been removed from BBQ's being used without the owners knowledge.

Replace your BBQ cleaning brushes frequently. Many people are hospitalized, require emergency surgery and even die every year due to the metal bristols left by their old brushes. These bristols go completely unnoticed once lodged inside your food. Those with children please take this seriously.